In the Heat of the Night

Thriller about the bigoted sheriff (Rod Steiger) of a small Mississippi town who finds himself forced into collaboration with a black detective (Sidney Poitier) from Philadelphia.

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Oscar-winning thriller about the bigoted sheriff in a small Mississippi cotton town who finds himself forced into collaboration with a black homicide expert from Philadelphia.

Sparta, Mississippi is a small, quiet town broiling on a steamy September night. At the train station Virgil Tibbs, a solitary black man from out of town, is arrested for the murder of a rich northern industrialist. Police chief Gillespie has no experience of a murder inquiry and subjects Tibbs to a bigoted, insolent interrogation. But when Tibbs reveals himself to be a top city homicide cop, his is just the assistance Gillespie can do without.

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1 hour, 49 minutes

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How long is In the Heat of the Night available on BBC iPlayer?

This programme is only on BBC iPlayer for 7 days after broadcast. We always aim to offer our programmes to stream for 30 days; however for a number of reasons including technical problems, legal or contractual issues this isn’t always possible.